The film opens with a realistic TV presentation of a build-up to the college football championship final, with the focus on the two quarterbacks from the competing Facebook users can now apply for their share of a $725 million privacy lawsuit settlement if they had accounts from May 2007 to December 2022. The question of compensation has been a hot-button issue in college sports for yearsso much so that the Supreme Court weighed in on the matter this summer, ruling that athletes should be entitled to a lot more than what the NCAA has allowed. ET The national championship game is set to tip off at 9:20 p.m. Its an Any Given Sunday look at big-time college athletics. [7][13] In its second and final weekend, the film earned $34,818 in 898 theaters for an average of $38 per screen. 7. Simmons plays coach James Lazor. Here are how the matchups look in the First Round: No. Sure, you can have your remakes of the Sharks versus the Jets. More: Watch The National Champions Trailer. Clock Ending, Explained: What Happened To Ellas Father? Banner Society illustration. Here are how the matchups look in the First Round: No. Aided by solid performances, National Champions has a great story, but ultimately its individual parts aren't enough to score the winning touchdown. He's organizing a players' strike of the game. Hes also got a wife (Kristin Chenoweth) thats leaving him for the very same college professor (Timothy Olyphant), whose fiery speeches inspired James revolt. However, the idea that National Champions brings to the discussion is extremely valid and relevant in todays times when the safety and well-being, physical as well as mental, of the countless directly involved in the sports industry is being questioned. As icy fixer Katherine Poe, Aduba keeps her cards close to the vest, initially coming across as a cutthroat player who is willing to get her hands dirty. And indeed, the cast is top-notch. The tournament has been formally held since 1959, when it was an eight-team tournament. The ethnic breakdown of the audience showed that 49% were European Americans, 15% Hispanic and Latino Americans, 22% African American, and 14% Asian or other. James efforts to inform and win over the other players appear similarly superficial, as the scenes only feature him giving lectures in hotel rooms. Simmon portrays James Lazor, the coach. Unfortunately, it doesn't have the intended effect. LeMarcus James is introduced, hiding away from the rest of his team in a different hotel with his best friend and teammate, Emmett Sunday, as they prepare to put into action a protest and strike against the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Even Aduba has her moments of introspection. WebAll right, I've been thinking, when life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade! You can reach out to me @sheezak208gmail.com, Your email address will not be published. As everyone from his head coach (J.K. Simmons) to the NCAA's chosen fixer (Uzo Aduba) attempts to nip the strike in the bud, LeMarcus must confront his true motivations if he's going to succeed. If nothing else, he does get to recite Samuel L. Jacksons Ezekiel 25:17 speech from Pulp Fiction for no reason. Also read:When Does American Horror Story: NYC Episodes Come Out On Hulu Every Week? 5. What Does The Post-Credits Scene Indicate? Head coach James Lazor (J.K. Simmons) is understandably perturbed to discover his players political gambit, but his problems are bigger than just the potential loss of his first national championship; not only is the NCAA breathing down Lazors neck to ensure the game gets played, guaranteeing their profits, but the coachs long-suffering wife Bailey (Kristin Chenoweth) decides to leave him for an academic (Timothy Olyphant) just as the crisis explodes. Rated R Additionally, even though it isnt mentioned in the movie, it indirectly raises the more important subject of whether athletes only play one sport. An avid reader who constantly buys books before reading the ones she already owns, Rachel is a huge fan of superheroes (especially of the Marvel variety) and wizards and will likely never be able to catch up on all the movies/TV shows she longs to watch. Still, with complex characters and fantastic performances, National Champions offers a vital take on a developing issue. In this era of sports production and distribution being one of the biggest forms of money-making, it is hard to argue that sports stars are sometimes mere pawns performing and entertaining for the world to watch. The action propels forward at a satisfying clip as the countdown to the final ticks on, with screechy music choices amping up the pressure. They are left with no quality life afterwards, having lost the years of education and not having been able to make it to the NFL either. Site by FireCask. Fatal Attraction Works As Entertainment, Fails as Social Commentary, Prime Videos Citadel Traps Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Richard Madden in Played-Out Spy Game, New York Philharmonic and Steven Spielberg Celebrate the Music of John Williams, A Piece of His Fire: Harry Belafonte (1927-2023). And hes convincing enough to get several players from both teams to follow his lead 72 hours before the championship game. SMU! It was also the last film released by STX as STX restructured its operations and transitioned to a distribution deal with Lionsgate.[2]. Those in control of the game start to panic after coming across this demand. National Champions has a compelling and timely story at its center, and when it chooses to focus on that, it can be electric. Required fields are marked *. Web219 4.8K views 1 year ago Gay homosexuals Nick and Joseph spoil National Champions - a 2021 American sports drama film directed by Ric Roman Waugh. Waugh mines emotion from all the right parts, and he effectively sends the message that college athletes are not to be overlooked. [10] The film was released on Blu-ray and DVD on March 8, 2022, by Universal Studios Home Entertainment. Ludwig is also good as James buddy, who doesnt have the flair for talking his buddy does but is willing to back him up no matter what. This home outdoor projector supports a 50-250" projection size, allowing you to enjoy the joy of a large screen whether indoors or outdoors. It's just a shame thatNational Champions takes so long to properly introduce her, though she certainly makes an impact before she even says aword. Facebook users can now apply for their share of a $725 million privacy lawsuit settlement if they had accounts from May 2007 to December 2022. They are LeMarcus James (If Beale Streer Could Talks Stephan James), the future NFL number one draft pick, and his best friend, Emmitt Sunday (Alexander Ludwig of The Hunger Games fame). These billion-dollar sports leagues are incredibly image-conscious, and this would have dictated script approval, even if they allowed the film to process that far (remember Draft Day?). April 14, 2023. 2 vs. No. But, hes also worth millions and, in the end, is out to serve himself, and to the films credit, hes not demonized for that. Love Is Blind Star Bartise Bowden Announces His First Baby Boy! Others noted the blatant product placement and compared the film negatively to High Flying Bird (2019), recommending viewers watch it instead. Home Film Film Reviews National Champions review a couple of knockout turns. In 2017, UCF went undefeated, won the American, and knocked off #7 Auburn, which beat both of the teams playing for the national title. 6. Stephan James (If Beale Street Could Talk) plays LeMarcus James, the star quarterback who decides to go AWOL on the eve of the Division I football championship game that his efforts made possible. LaMarcus takes on the role of a preacher, with Emmett as his trusty hype man, rallying his followers with personal stories of their injuries and lack of health insurance. In contrast, Angier was using the machine to create a clone of himself. These are worthy discussions to have, to be sure. Between the panel shows, the highlight shows, the gambling tips, the recruiting reports, and the in-depth statistical breakdowns, the average fan is expected to know just as much about their favorite teams players as the coaching staff does. 35 teams who might as well claim old undefeated seasons as national titles. Soon two of his players organize a player boycott. Now, Im sure you want to hear all about Seth Bullock from Deadwood makin sweet, sweet love to Glinda from Wicked, sooh wait, you want to learn more about that NCAA strike? "National Champions" tackles the NCAA and its hypocrisy about "student-athletes," but in a movie that doesn't make it across the goal line. April 24, 2023, 11:01 a.m. 9. Your email address will not be published. Hang up the banners! But they leave poor Stephan James holding the bag as the straight man. When LaMarcus announces he will not play the championship game until the NCAA and its affiliates end their practice of unpaid labor and compensate all student athletes, the NCAA and its powerful boosters spring into action, scrambling to save their biggest moneymaker of the year. If you thought my line about Coach Lazors erectile dysfunction was extraneous and unwarranted, you should hear the speech where he reveals that very detail. They eye-openly stick to their principles by admitting there are no easy answers. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Reason Behind Scarfaces Death, Taylor Lautner Before And After: His Transformation Over The Years, Kortney Wilson Dating History: The Singers Past Relationships Revealed, Taylor Swifts Dating History: All Relationships So Far. While the NCAA and its hired help try to project James call for a strike as a selfish cover-up, the players strike starts getting much attention and support from not just players in the junior leagues but also from big names in the NFL. What is the premise of the National Championships? 8. Waugh and Mervis lay these arguments out via a series of big speeches, mostly filmed in strangely dim hotel meeting spaces, overlooking the New Orleans Superdome. The DraftKings Sports Betting Championship is a handicapping contest. Markus and Alex go down to Bennys former restaurant and threaten to destroy the owner, alleging that he fired a special needs worker after behaving in a discriminatory way against him. Bordon was not one person but a pair of identical twins. Were four or five plot twists in. Men made up 68% of the audience during its opening, with those above the age of 45 comprising 47% of ticket sales. However, shes right when she warns James that if he wins and athletes start getting paid, any college sport thats not a moneymaker like football and basketball will get cut. PR maven/blackmail expert extraordinaire Katherine Poe (Uzo Aduba) has convinced Lazor he needs to speak to his team to counter some of the success James has had recruiting members for his cause. https://www.cnn.com/videos/cnn10/2023/04/27/ten-0428orig.cnn With James' assured performance at its center,National Champions is strongest when itfocuseson this timely and thorny issue. Its a story ripped from at least a few years of headlines, and a subject about which there has been much debate. There are definitely heroes and villains here, but the question of remunerating college athletes isnt one that can be answered quickly. ET (8:20 p.m. local time) from NRG Stadium, in Houston. No. How Ben Afflecks Air Makes the Case for Movie Theaters to Build Buzz, How Succession Trapped the Roy Family in a VIP Room of Grief in Episode 3, Movies Shot on Film 2023 Preview: From Oppenheimer to Killers of the Flower Moon and Maestro, How Gene Kelly and Singin in the Rain Taught John Wick to Fight, The 50 Best Movies of 2022, According to 165 Critics from Around the World, All 81 Titles Unceremoniously Removed from HBO Max (So Far), 10 Shows Canceled but Not Forgotten in 2022. Sourya keeps an avid interest in all sorts of films, history, sports, videogames and everything related to New Media. The Wolves Heisman-Trophy-winning starting quarterback LeMarcus James (Stephan James)likely the number one pick in the next NFL draftputs out a statement calling on both his teammates and the opposing team to join him in boycotting the game, unless the NCAA immediately changes its rules to allow student-athletes to be be paid fairly for labor which brings in billions of dollars in revenue to their schools each year. Fearing that they might have to call off the grand sporting event, the NCAA gets involved quickly and hires an outside counsel to communicate between the Association, team coach James Lazor and LeMarcus. Unfortunately, it's too often bogged down by unnecessary plotlines and underdeveloped relationships. Opening with a 72-hour countdown to the National Championship game, the film opens with the two friends reciting scripture across their gray hotel room, psyching each other out for whats to come. They refuse to play in the championship game to protest how student-athletes are never compensated despite college football being an obscenely wealthy sport. LeMarcus James. LeMarcus James, the primary quarterback for the Wolves as well as the Heisman Trophy winner, calls on his fellow players and the opponents to boycott the game unless the NCAA instantly changes its regulations to permit student-athletes to be fairly compensated for work. Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! She's been a writer ever since high school when she realized she was rather good at it and joined as many entertainment news clubs as she could while in school. This story of college players on strike could have been corny or two-dimensional in a lesser directors hands. It has the look and feel of a movie that was ripped from the headlines, though instead it's based on a play by Adam Mervis, who wrote the script here as well. I'm sure I'll never grow weary of watching thrillers. Also read:How Did Al Capone Die? LeMarcus demands that student-athletes be regarded as employees and be compensated as such. Every Movie Coming To Theaters In December 2021. Watch as he openly and passionately tells you how his wife left him and how he cant get hard without a handful of tiny blue pills to 50 testosterone-filled adult males before he tells them to grab glory by the balls and take it. National Champions is a sports drama film directed by Ric Roman Waugh and based on a play by Adam Mervis. Sylvester Stallone is teaming up with Ric Roman Waugh for Cliffhanger 2, a sequel reboot to the heart-pounding 1993 action thriller. Despite Simmons best efforts, Coach Lazor never comes through as very sympathetic, and his relationship with LaMarcus is never fleshed out enough to pack an emotional punch. But the young actor continues to seek interesting projects en route to finding ones that utilize his talents as well as, say, If Beale Street Could Talk.. This stands out from the rest of the movie thanks to excellent acting by J.K. Simmons as the gruff but coach James and Stephan James as the persuaded and motivated LeMarcus James. Again, there are no clear-cut answers handed out here, and the film never lectures you about whos right or wrong. With so many talented performers packed into its ensemble, there's no question thatNational Championsholds a certain appeal. While I cant stand films that make up fake college universities and team names, there is nothing that Waugh and writer Adam Mervis (21 Bridges) could do about that issue. His star quarterback LeMarcus James (Stephan James) won the Heisman, and is so good, hes set to earn a $35 million payday in the NFL Draft. Along with Jeffrey Donovans NCAA honcho and a couple of boosters played by Tim Blake Nelson andAndrew Bachelor, she is the closest this movie has to a villain. It employs an outside counsel as a liaison between the association, squad coach James Lazor, and LeMarcus. Mervis appears to know this worlds wrinkles well. In 1954, Billy Joe Patton finished one stroke out of the Sam Snead-Ben Hogan playoff. National Champions is based on a Mervis play, and the filmmakers havent done a lot to open it up for the screen. First round: March 21-22. To be honest, I too wanted to know more about James plans for going up against the gigantic business behemoth that controversially makes billions off its student-athletes. A disjointed sub-plot involving the coachs wife (Kristin Chenoweth) and her affair with a poetry professor (Timothy Olyphant) ties in to the ending, but to diminishing effect. National Champions throws details like this out and then quickly discards them without delving into just how interesting they might be. The character of LeMarcus James and his actions might remind one of the countless athletes who have been criticized in a more direct but similar manner over the last few yearsBubba Wallace and Lewis Hamilton in motorsports, countless NBA stars, Marcus Rashford and Megan Rapinoe in football, only to name a fewwith the childishly arrogant statement: Sports stars should stick to sports. National Champions picks up a little insidery buzz with its cameos from TV sports journalists Steve Levy, Mike Greenberg, and Jemele Hill, as well as NFL quarterback Russell Wilson (also one of the movies producers). Viewers may not think they know the right answer, but unfortunately, it doesnt appear that the filmmakers do either. George Clooney: Johnny Depp and Mark Wahlberg "regret" passing on "Ocean's Eleven", The A.V. Her deep love of movies led to her working at a movie theater for five years, which she loved despite the angry customers. Chenoweth and Olyphant are always welcome onscreen presences, and Mervis attempts to tie them into the broader strike plotline lateron in the film. After years of coming so close to an NCAA Championship that he can taste it, he is now faced with his best chance to bring home the win. Be the first to contribute. What Happens To Adam In The End? on National Champions Movie Ending Explained: Is It A Perfect Football Themed Movie? It was the Hollywood ending they had hoped for. Players buy-in for $10,000 or win a seat via satellites and compete to see who can build the biggest bankroll betting on sports. No. Hit films from last year like Ma Raineys Black Bottom and One Night in Miami featured stellar performances, but struggled to break out of their singular location narratives. Frank Liesenborgs . And why the hell not? James has always been a brilliant actor, and he sinks his teeth into one of his best roles to date by making him a human being. 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